Cooling container for beverages and the like



5. L. PALMER 3,401,535

COOLING CONTAINER FOR BEVERAGES AND THE LIKE Sept. 17, 1968 Filed June 22, 1967 INVENTOR. Gsonse L. PALMER BY ATTOR N EVS United States Patent 3,401,535 COOLING CONTAINER FOR BEVERAGES AND THE LIKE George L. Palmer, 915 37th Ave., Oakland, Calif. 94601 Filed June 22, 1967, Ser. No. 648,009 6 Claims. (Cl. 62-457) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A reusable container for carrying loose items that require cooling prior to use as for example canned beverages. The container is formed with recessed cavities for snugly receiving the items to retain the items in a relatively fixed position. The container is provided with voids surrounding the items with the voids being filled with a material that may be precooled.

Background of the invention The present invention relates to reusable containers and more particularly to containers that are designed to carry and cool loose items, for example, canned beverages. While various types of containers have been designed for carrying loose items, none of these includes a means for cooling the articles. All prior art devices have required the addition of an external means for cooling the articles and the container. For example, if the canned beverages were carried in a portable ice box or the like, one was required to place ice or some other cooling medium in the box to cool the items.

In addition, all prior art devices are relatively expensive, and thus not readily adaptable to be sold at a nominal cost at the time that the merchandise is originally purchased. Also, containers such as ice boxes and the like make no provision for retaining loose items, and thus the items can move and possibly damage the container.

In an attempt to overcome the above problems, various types of packages have been designed for canned beverages. These have consisted of cardboard packages or preformed plastic containers. While these provide a means for mechandising canned beverages, they do not include any provision for cooling the beverages.

Brief description of the invention The present invention solves the above problems by providing a reusable container that includes its own cooling means for canned beverages and the like. The container consists of an outer case of a generally rectangular form having an opening at the top. The top is closed by means of a preformed insert that has recessed cavities for receiving the canned beverage or other articles. The void between the outer case and the insert is filled with a cooling medium which may be easily frozen or cooled prior to use of the container. The heat of fusion of the frozen medium is then used to cool the canned beverage or other articles.

The top of the container is closed by an insulating lid that serves both to retain the coldness within the container and to retain the canned beverages or other articles in place. In addition, a carrying handle is provided which serves both for carrying the container as well as for retaining the lid in position.

Brief description of the drawings The above advantages of this invention and its construction will be more easily understood from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment when taken in conjunction with the attached drawings in which:

3,401,535 Patented Sept. 17, 1968 FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a container constructed according to this invention;

FIGURE 2 is a second perspective view of the con- Trainer constructed according to this invention showing the lid in an open position; and

FIGURE 3 is an exploded perspective view of the individual parts used in forming the container of this invention.

Description of preferred embodiment Referring now to the drawings, there is shown in FIG- URE 1 a perspective view of the container with the insulating lid in position. The container is formed of an outer case 10 having a generally rectangular shape and an open top. The shape of the outer case is not critical to the present invention, and it may be provided with slightly sloping sides to facilitate its fabrication in addition to rounded corners and edges. Preferably the outer case is formed of a readily moldable plastic material, for example, high-impact polystyrene, polyethylene or polypropylene. While the outer case may be formed of individual pieces which are joined to form a fluid tight rectangular case, it is preferable to mold the outer case in a single unitary structure.

The top of the container is closed by means of an insulating lid 11 having a carrying handle 12 projecting upwardly through an opening 13 formed in the lid. The carrying handle may be formed of a flexible plastic material, for example, polypropylene or polyethylene. Attachment of the carrying handle and the forming of the lid are more fully explained below.

Referring to FIGURE 2 there is shown a perspective view of the container with the lid in the raised or open position. The open top of the outer case 10 is closed by means of an insert 20 having a plurality of general cylindrical-shaped recessed cavities 21 formed therein. The cavities 21 are formed to snugly receive a canned beverage or other item. The cavities are formed to fit the canned beverage and retain them in place when they are inserted into the cavities. While the container of this invention is designed primarily for carrying and cooling canned beverages, obviously other articles can be placed in cavities of the container. It should be noted that three cavities 21 are joined together at 22 to form a series of three connected cavities on each side of the handle 12. The joining of three caivties facilitates forming the insert 20 and in addition adds strength to the insert.

The insert 20 can be formed of individual pieces that are joined by suitable means such as cementing, but is preferably molded as a single piece from a plastic material such as high-impact polystyrene, polypropylene or polyethylene. To facilitate molding, the cylindrical-shaped cavities 21 can be slightly tapered although they are shown straight in the drawings.

Referring now to FIGURE 3 there is shown the detailed construction of the individual parts of the container. The lid 11 has a general rectangular shape with a central slot or opening 13. As explained above, the carrying handle 12 projects through the slot 13, and thus when the container is carried, the persons hand retains the lid in position on the container. As shown in FIG- URE 2, the bottom surface of the lid 11 is provided with a recess 26 conforming substantially to the outline of the cavities 21 formed in the insert 20. The recess 26 permits the cans to project above the top of the insert 20 and thus facilitates the removal of the cans from the container. The lid 11 is preferably molded of expanded or foamed polystyrene to provide the required insulation.

Handle 12 is attached to the top surface of the insert 20 by means of an elongated slot 30 which fits over a T-headed fastening means 31. The T-headed fastening means 31 may be attached to the top surface of the insert by cementing or by welding the T-headed fastening means directly to the top surface of the insert.

Prior to assembling the outer case and the insert 20, the outer case is filled with a small amount of a cool ing medium. The cooling medium is preferably one which will readily freeze at a temperature preferably below 32 F. A liquid which will freeze in the range of 1020 F. would be satisfactory, for example, a solution of water and methyl alcohol may be used or a solution of water and ethylene glycol. After the cooling medium is placed in the outer case 10, the insert is placed on top of the case and the top edge 23 is sealed to the edge 24 of the insert by suitable means, as for example, cementing or welding. Since both the outer case 10 and the insert 20 are formed of high-impact polystyrene, the two may be sealed by welding to provide a fiuid tight container.

The container is made readily for use by placing the bottom portion in a refrigeration means capable of freezing the solution to a solid state. After the solution is frozen the canned beverages 25 or other articles may be placed in the cavities formed in the insert 21. The lid 11 is placed over the handle 12, and the container is ready for use. The cooling medium being frozen will absorb its heat of fusion prior to conversion to a liquid. It is well known that the heat of fusion of water is very high and exceeds most other known liquids. Thus, the container will cool the canned beverages and will maintain them in a cool state for a considerable length of time. It should also be understood, however, that the cooling medium may consist of a commercially available gel-like substance which are capable of being cooled when subjected to sub-freezing temperatures, and retain its coldness over considerable periods of time.

From the above description it can be appreciated that a low-cost, reusable container has been provided. In addition to carrying the canned beverages, the container also includes means for cooling the beverages. All of the required parts are molded of relatively low-cost plastic material and thus can be mass produced at low unit cost. This permits use of the container as a promotional aid in merchandising canned beverages. While the container has a low initial cost, it is of rugged construction and can be reused.

What is claimed is:

1. A container for carrying loose items comprising: an outer case having an open top; an insert, said insert having a top surface provided with an outer edge conforming substantially to the shape of the top of said case, said insert in addition having recessed open top cavities depending from said top surface for receiving the loose items, said cavities extending into said case when said insert is positioned on top of said case; means securing said insert to said case and providing a liquid seal therebetween, a cooling medium, said cooling medium being capable of being frozen to store cold and then slowly absorbing heat, said cooling medium being sealed within the void between said outer case and said insert; and a removable lid, said lid fitting over said outer case to close the top of the recessed cavities and retain said loose items in said container.

2. The container of claim 1 wherein the outer case is in the form of an open-top rectangular box and the lid is formed of insulating material.

3. The container of claim 1 wherein said outer case and insert are formed of moldable plastic, the cavities in said insert being formed to snugly receive a canned beverage.

4. The container of claim 3 wherein said insert is formed with a recessed cavity on opposite sides of the center, each cavity comprising a seriesof cylindricalshaped cavities joined at their adjacent surfaces to form a continuous cavity; and a carrying handle, said carrying handle being secured to the top surface of said insert between said cavities, said handle projecting through an opening formed in said removable lid.

5. The container of claim 4 wherein said insert is sealed to said outer case, and said cooling medium comprises an aqueous solution having a freezing point below 32 Fahrenheit.

6. The container of claim 5 wherein said removable lid is provided with a recessed cavity, said cavity corresponding to the outline of the cavities in said insert, whereby canned beverages placed in the cavities of the insert may project the top of said insert.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,215,274 9/1940 Peterson 62-457 2,706,895 4/1955 Thompson et al. 62373 X 3,236,206 2/1966 Willinger 62457 X 3,255,607 6/1966 Bair et al. 62457 X LLOYD L. KING, Primary Examiner. 

